Saturday, November 27, 2010

Cola that isn't Soda

I like all kinds of Soda, but I seem to gravitate towards 'cola' when I order one.

Not necessarily "coca" cola....but a cola nonetheless.

But COLA stands for other things and has interests outside of soda.
(Why anyone would have interests outside of Soda is beyond me...)

COLA also stands for Cost of Living Adjustment.
Yeah, you used to get a raise every year just to keep up with the cost of living.
(Can you believe it?! Where I can I get me one of those?!)
The military still honors this yearly increase.
See the table here.

COLA also stands for the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere.
No, I don't see the point, either.
They coulda' just called it the 'Center About Studying Earth" (CASE).
Or how about the "Center Underscoring Studies of Stuff." (CUSS).
COLAS's website is here, if you are interested.

Seattle has non-profit website built around COLA.
But not soda...and not for grunge music either!
This one is for Dogs. Yeah, really.
It's the Citizens for Off Leash Areas.


Further research shows that you can find all KINDS of definitions for COLA.

But I say we stick to Soda.
That's what I'm about...

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Who's Drinking them Energy Drinks?!?!

"FDA Expected to Ban Caffeinated Alcohol Drinks" was the headline I read. It's for an article on MSN's website, and you can read it here.

The comment itself didnt really shock or offend me. In fact, I read the article hoping to see a LIST of such drinks, but they only talked up one...a product called "Four Loko". (although they did mention Joose without really talking about them in any detail.)

If you do a little research, you'll see the names of colleges banning Four Loko due to the ill effects it had on students.

But what DID catch my eye was a quote in the article that says, "The drinks are regularly consumed by 31 percent of 12-to-17-year olds."

That means one out of every three twelve year old...and one out of every three 13 year old...drinks an alcohol and caffeine fueled energy drink.

Here is my question: Where Are the Parents?!
I was 12 once, and I have 12 year olds in my yard every weekend. I know what they do all day long...and I'd like to know why they need a beverage that has alcohol and caffeine in it.
Of COURSE a 12 year old is going to want to try one...and of COURSE if the marketing is good (and the can is cool) they are going to keep drinking them.

But where the hell is the parenting?!
Would you let your 13 year old smoke?
Would you let them drink a glass of wine?
Would you let them take pills that keep them 'up'?

Alcohol and Caffeine-laced energy drinks are NOT the same as juice or soda.
Hell, I know a LOT of parents that don't let their kids drink Soda.
To think that 1/3 of the nation's parents let their kids drink energy drinks is amazing.

Don't tell me that the kids run out to the store and the parents don't know.
I know for a FACT that 12 and 13 year olds leave their junk all over the place...including soda cans. (and a shout out to my neighbors who have NOT taught their kids to pick up after themselves! Thanks for all the extra trash...jerks!)

I'm not "capping" my rant at 13 years old.
14 and 15 year olds dont need to drink this stuff, either.
And at 17 you might just be working and buying whatever you want.

But 12 and 13 is very, very young.
Too young, I would think, to pollute a body with caffeine and alcohol.

Just my 2 cents.

and remember to visit Coke vs. Pepsi, where no page of the site was injected with Alcohol to create what you see there...

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Coke, Pepsi and Cholesterol

I had my Cholesterol checked today.
Yeah, I do that every 10 years or so.
Good to stay on top of it. ;)

It's almost exactly where is was 10 years ago.
Only a few points above 200...and I have MUCH more 'good' Cholesterol than 'bad'.

 I guess all that Taco Bell hasn't killed me yet.
And Being an authority on soda hasn't ruined me either.
At least not yet.

Side note:  I used to always mix up HDL and LDL, but a girl once gave me some great advice about how to remember which is "good" and which is "bad". Ready? HDL = Helpful Dudes Laughing. LDL = Lazy Dudes Laughing.  When it comes to the things going on inside your body, do you want your cholesterol atoms and molecules to be Helpful or Lazy? Riiiiiiiiight...


But while it's fun to snub my nose at the health nuts and say 'look at ME. I'm FINE!' I suppose it's fair to give them a fair say. After all, I'm NOT in the majority. My good health is an anomaly. (Maybe I'm an alien. Not like the yellow sun gives me powers or anything but...)

SO...since it's 'Check your Health' day, I bring you:
1) What Soda Does to your Body - personally, I think the article is a cross between 'Scanners' and mass-scare-tactic...but her intentions are good.

2) 1 Daily Soda may boost Heart Disease - what?!?! Don't let this medical journal scare you off! Everything in moderation, right?!

3) Can Diet Soda increase Cholesterol Levels - ok, well you can blame DIET soda...I don't drink diet soda. But still, stop blaming the can of pop, will ya?!




Drink Soda, Enjoy Life.
It's not like we're Jimmy Dean or something...

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

You Can't get a Pepsi at McDonald's

Really, you can't.

McDonald's carries Coca Cola products, so the idea of the 'other' brand showing up within the Golden arches is nil.

The Minnesota Twins only serve Pepsi in their Target Stadium.
No Coke to be found there.

But certainly no one chooses their Fast Food restaurant or favorite ball team by the soda they serve, or don't serve.

Cola, despite millions of dollars on branding, is unfortunately indistinguishable amongst the masses. Sure, when they are side-by-side you can tell the difference in a taste test, but the difference is NOT so drastic that it would ruin your meal.

A waitress at a diner I frequent recently insisted that she has had customers walk out of the establishment because they wanted a Coke and was served a Pepsi.

Even my favorite China Buffet serves soda in tall red glasses that have the Pepsi logo on them.
(surely you can see the irony...why not Blue glasses?!)

In fact, when I order a 'Coke with no ice, lemon' with my meal, the waitress will ask me if Pepsi is "OK" if that's all they serve. (Surely they are concerned that I'll make a fuss like the before-mentioned senior citizen did...). No need to worry. I can tell the difference, but it wont ruin my meal.

Do folks in Atlanta feel pretty strong about the flavor differences? I understand they do more so there than elsewhere. Atlanta prides itself on being the home to Coca Cola, and has been drinking the product for over a century. Those taste buds are pretty well tuned in.

But when Average Joe makes a stink in a New Jersey restaurant because he wants a Coca Cola and not a Pepsi, I'm confused.

Or maybe I'm just so in love with soda that it's made me more accepting?
Hell, don't we always accept the flaws and short comings of those we love?
I'm a huge fan of contact sports, even though I know it's violent and sometimes bloody.

But alas, I digress...

Coca Cola and Pepsi are smart to form agreements with fast food chains and other establishments, but I don't think it's an issue of 'conversion'. If you can only get Pepsi at Taco Bell, and you eat at Taco Bell once a week, it doesn't mean you'll in short time stop drinking Coca Cola because you are 'conditioned' to.

No, in fact the smartest part of the exclusivity arrangements is that it ensures you 'x' cases of soda will be sold each week...because a LOT of people order a soda with the meal! So why give the customer a chance to NOT buy YOUR soda? Keep the competition the hell outta there!

Soda exclusivity in fast food restaurants.
Score one for good business, score none of cornering the market of one's mouth.


Footnote - my thanks to Seth Godin for the title. His recent blog post inspired me to write the article, even though it wasn't the basis of HIS thesis.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Third Anniversary Coke vs. Pepsi Top 7 Stories

Happy Belated Birthday!

Coke vs. Pepsi turned '3' last week...and like any bad Father I completely missed it's birthday because I was preoccupied with other things.

But like any GOOD Father, I acknowledged it as soon as I noticed it, drank a cold glass of cola and sat down to research the Top 7 Coke Versus Pepsi stories.

The Top 7 Stories is based on the number of times each page has been visited.
I can confirm fro first-hand experience that a few spammers have found 2 specific blog entries that they like to comment more than others...but a win is a win. There must be a reason why they picked THOSE entries (I'd like to think it was the great writing, gripping stories, fascinating content and witty catch-phrases I use. But who knows...?)

So, Happy Birthday Coke vs. Pepsi!
The Top 7 Stories this blog hosts are:


#7) Coke or Pepsi? Smart or Silly? (5/3/08) - this quick entry talked up 2 other websites that debate the Coke versus Pepsi preference we all have...but we found to be somewhat 'girlie'. I was quite pleased to receive a comment from the site's publisher explaining WHY It was girlie.

#6) History of Coca Cola and Pepsi...and Google! (8/21/07) - this article quantifies and explains the differences of 'Coca Cola' information and 'Pepsi' information when making searches on Google.

#5) Coca Cola Prices Going Up. Pepsi Next? (7/18/08) - and the heels of a price increase, we discuss the options and the consequences of a Cola pricing increase.

#4) 7 Most Relevant Coke vs. Pepsi Stories of the Last Year? (8/20/08) - The debut of our 'Top Stories' list. (yeah, I remembered our FIRST Birthday...every Good Father does!).

#3) Andy Warhol Coca Cola (9/12/08) - Would-be SPAMmers love this entry, which makes me happy and sad. I'd happy that whatever content I shared here gets enough public visibility that SPAMmers think it's worth commenting on. But I was hoping for a higher-brow audience.

#2) Pepsi and Coca Cola Sales Drop Drastically (4/08/09) - There seems to be a correlation between Cola blog traffic and articles about Cola Pricing. Which would speak to the higher-brow audience I alluded to in the above comment.

And the #1 most Relevant Coke vs. Pepsi blog entry as of this writing is.....

#1) The History of Coca Cola Prices (9/29/08) - High-brow audience wins again!!! Glad to see the most visited blog entry was something that didn't have the word 'MILF' or 'Dude' in the title!

I always enjoy compiling this list each year and looking back on how much traffic this blog gets.
Sure, it would have been nice for some '2010' posts to get on the list, but it's been a busy year and perhaps I just need to put more thought into future posts this year.

Next post should be titled "The History of Coca Cola Pricing Increases and the Google Searches about Pepsi Sales Decreasing that are equally Relevant"

...or something...!

Friday, September 3, 2010

No one cares about Concrete Resurfacing

I understand that some people will spam the 'comments' section of a blog in order to promote their own products and interests. It's just a fact of life that bloggers have to deal with.

I'm fortunate that no one can comment my blog unless I approve the comments first. As a result, you'll find SodaIsGood to be spam-free.

I is happy. :)

Usually a spammer will try once...maybe twice...and then give up.
Good for "learning"!
If once you don't succeed...go pester someone else.

HOWEVER...some dufus who runs a Concrete Resurfacing site has been trying ENDLESSLY to get his comments on this blog!

Want to know his website URL?
No Chance.
But I can tell you it's doesn't end with a "dot com" or a "dot net" if that helps.

AAAAAANYway....I was thinking about how I could have him contribute to THIS blog without giving him any credit or any publicity. And then it dawned on me.

(drum roll please....)

Go to Google...look up "Concrete Resurfacing + Cola"...and what do you get?

Today's blog entry will talk about Cola Stains on concrete!

www.ConcreteNetwork.com is a great site and shows the Cola-colored stain made by Kemiko here.

www.RockinJConcrete.com shows the Kemiko colors (including Cola!) here.

www.CompleteStoneServices.com is a very thorough site...and if you scroll halfway down the page you can see all of their stain colors. Cola IS shows, and while it's not listed as a Kemiko brand it seems to me that the colors shown with it are also Kemiko. Check it out here.

Just who IS Kemiko?! Check out www.Kemiko.com!

www.ConcretePolishing.com has great information on how to CLEAN concrete that has been stained. Let's assume you spill a can of Pepsi on your concrete patio, or a can of Coca-Cola on your sidewalk. These are the guys to go see.


So what is today's lesson?
Today's lesson is that if you continually spam this blog I will heavily promote your competitors!
LOL!!

Drink soda and enjoy the Labor Day weekend!!!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Taco Bell puts 16 sodas in 1 Machine

Occasionally I blog about Coca-Cola's attempt to offer a machine that produces almost 100 flavors of soda in 1 concise place. It's called the Freestyle, and I've last written about it here.

Today I wandered into my local Taco Bell, and what do you know?
The soda machine, featuring Pepsi products, has SIXTEEN soda buttons!

It's true.
There are 4 'spouts' in the machine, and each spout has 4 buttons above it.

Now, in fairness, there were 2 opportunities to select "Pepsi"...but Water, Iced Tea, Mountain Dew, Cherry Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Mug Root Beer made an appearance, also. (I'm sure there was a Pink Lemonade button, too. I'm doing this from memory because I left my cellphone-with-camera in the car when I went in to buy lunch).

I can tell you that I eat in a LOT of Taco Bells, and this is the first time I've seen said machine.

So one has to ask...is this Pepsi's subtle way of getting a multi-soda machine on the market before Coca Cola does...or just a short-scale coincidence?



Learn more about the Coke versus Pepsi battle of the ages at www.Squidoo.com/CokevsPepsi

Thursday, July 22, 2010

A can of Sandwich to go with your can of Soda

I was looking at the home page of one of the news-sites that I read when I saw a story about what I THOUGHT was 'sandwich-flavored soda'. Of course it immediately grabbed my eye.

But at second look I noticed it was a sandwich INSIDE of a soda can!

Amazingly eerie and cool at the same time!

The article is here.

The sandwiches will come in cans that resemble soda cans, and will keep it's contents fresh for up to a year. From Peanut Butter sandwiches to BBQ Chicken sandwiches...the plan is to make it easier for busy mommies to feed the kids when they are on the go.

(Scroll down the article and read the 'comments'. A great debate brewed over whether it was nutritiously better to eat these 'Canwhiches' or go to McDonald's.)

Sandwich in a can sounds weird?
What about the goofy flavours that Jones Soda provides?
In fact, remember their Holiday Ham flavour?!

Listen...the astronauts have been eating packaged food for YEARS, and they are healthier than a marathon runner! Sandwhich in a Can will definately catch on. Afterall, people still eat Spam. ;)

Monday, July 19, 2010

Coca Cola accused of using Porn in marketing campaign

MAN! All you need is one small person to make 1 small mistake and you have 1 BIIIG problem on your hands.

Unless you are Coca-Cola.

A recent marketing campaign in England combined Facebook and some naughty little minds.
Apparently, a mommy was none-too-pleased by a passing comment and went into a rage.
And now it's news.

You can read the story here.
I WILL forewarn you that this is another case of a small instance getting blown up into a big issue.

And remember...there is no 'bad' press when you are a multi-million dollar company envoking marketing ideas!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Mello Yello and the Seasick Fisherman

This past weekend, my 9 year old son was invited to go fishing with his best buddy. His father has a small boat that we've been on once before, and I while I'm not much of a fishing fanatic I thought it would be nice for the boys.

All I had to do was wake up at 6 in the morning, buy lunch for me and my son, and arrive at Bob's house for 7:00. Simple right?

Ughghg. I HATE waking up early.
But it's for my son...

So I find out that none of the grocery stores are open before 7:00AM.
This is bad because I want to be at his HOUSE at 7:00am.
So instead I'm off to Wawa to buy some sandwiches and sodas.

First, the good news: Despite being a 'convenience store', they had a well stocked deli and I was treated to 2 sandwiches for under $5.00 TOTAL.

Next, the SODA news: while my son was treated to a Coca Cola, I found a bottle of MELLO YELLO on the shelf. AND...it was 'marked down' from $1.59 to .99! SODA ON SALE! Who'da thought?! I took it!

Last, the bad news: for the first time in my life, I got sea sick.
I appears that fishing on the ocean is MUCH different than crabbing in the bay!

So once again, I could not enjoy my Mello Yello to the fullest.
In fact, I barely made it through my sandwich!

You'll recall from earlier posts that Mello Yello became a bane of my existence in the past. I was REALLY hoping this time it would be different. It wasn't. Sorry, Mello Yello...I don't think we can be friends anymore! :(

Friday, June 18, 2010

3 Soda's for Executed Man's last meal

Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed in Utah last night via firing squad. Ever notice how most of the infamous murderers in history had 3 names? Lee Harvey Oswald. John Wayne Gacy. Spooky, right?

When Gardner consumed his last meal on Tuesday night, he washed it down with a 7UP.
(wow...I haven't had a 7Up in AGES. No disrespect to 7UP...I just find that the soda machines in fast food restaurants don't normally offer it in these parts...)

Gardner did not plan to eat on Thursday, but wound up consuming a Coke and a Mountain Dew before the day's end.

Not sure I would want an intake of caffeine before I Was to be executed. Doesn't your heart pound hard and fast enough just knowing you are about to be shot to death?! Maybe the extra racing and pounding takes the edge off?

I wonder how these beverages feel about unwittingly sponsoring a convicted killer's execution? "Today's firing squad was brought to you by Coca Cola! Choice of a New Generation...and a few from this Generation who are leaving us today...!"

Ok, that was crude.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Update on Coke's most interesting soda machine

Are you familiar with the Freestyle?

Not freestyle rapping.
Not freestyle swimming.
I'm talking about the Freestyle soda machine from Coca Cola.

Almost a year ago I wrote a blog post about this new technology. While inventive and potentially a sales-increaser, it appears to have had a slow start.

Today's article in Newsmax accentuates the point.
The machine costs 30% more than a traditional soda fountain machine...and has only debuted in a handful of stores.

Coca Cola CEO Muhtar Kent is undeterred.
His experience has been that anyone who has used the machine has been completely satisfied...and has come back for more!

Clearly the machine makes it easier for the consumer to try new (or obscure) flavors without investing in a 12-pack of the goods...and clearly it makes it easier for Coca Cola to test market flavours and track the results.

But the question becomes how much more soda will it sell...and will the fast food restaurants that employ the technology be able to sell enough soda to easily cover the cost?

Monday, April 19, 2010

Soda stock prices...Invest in Coke, Invest in Pepsi

The Cola War is as deeply rooted as the rivalries between Republicans and Democrats, Wrestling Fans and people who hate pro wrestling, Rock Musicians and the PRMC...ok, maybe I digress...

But the Cola Wars seems to have no end in sight. Perhaps you can profit form the profits!

My understanding what is happening, financially, with both product lines you can make an educated opinion.

(The views expressed in this article do not express my personal views. In fact, I dont own stock in either company, but I drink a LOT of their products!)

Read a great, recent article (4/19/2010) evaluating current stock prices here.

Coca Cola's recent stock price and company information on Morningstar here.

Morningstar's review of Pepsi's Q4 performance here.

Morningstar's evaluation of Jones Soda here.
JONES SODA?!?!? Well...yeah! They are a creative little bunch and deserved some finanical press!

Of course, LAST year Motley Fool was down on Jones Soda.
See here.

Well look...we cant base our lives around Coke and Pepsi, people!

The bottom line is that you have a lot of options, but you have to do oyour homework.
The stock market looks like a fun place to gamble, but you can actually beat the house better than any poker player if you research carefully and invest on things you understand.

Like soda.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Harry Potter indeed...Dungeons & Dragons soda!

It's true! Jones Soda has a limited edition Dungeons and Dragons collection!

I played a bit of D&D in my time.
Aw who am I kidding?! I used to play ALL the time!
(That might explain why I didn't DATE much in High School!)

If you are familiar with the game, then you will appreciate the flavors Jones is bringing out:
• • Potion of Healing
• • Illthid Brain Juice
• • Sneak Attack
• • Eldritch Blast
• • Dwarven Draught
• • Bigby's Crushing Thirst Destroyer

Jones has a history of offering interesting flavors, especially around the holidays. This line of flavors will get all of the Harry Potter fans, as well as the How to Train a Dragon fans, and perhaps a few Lighting Thief fans off their butts and into the fridge for a nice cold one!

Friday, April 9, 2010

OK Soda from Coca Cola...not really OK, but kinda cool!

How I came across OK Soda, I don't' remember.
But reading about it I learned it was a really interesting concept that just didn't get off the ground.

Wikipedia defines the endeavor as - OK Soda was a soft drink created by The Coca-Cola Company in 1993 that aggressively courted the Generation X demographic with unusual advertising tactics, including endorsements and even outright negative publicity.

Any good? Well, the Time website called it #1 on the list of Top 10 Bad Beverage Ideas.

But I think the marketing needs to be explored.
The entire idea behind OK Soda was to come up with something for the Gen X crowd, and marketing to them in a way that ACKNOWLEDGED that they did not want to be marketed to.
They did not want anything that was part of the corporate-culture machine.

This meant unique cans, unique soda machines and self-depreciating marketing slogans.
In fact, Kayfabe.net writes about their marketing efforts (and shows a great pic of an OK Soda soda machine!) here..

Suck.com writes an interesting piece about OK Soda here.

For a really good, in depth review of the story of OK Soda, you have to check out the article from Cavalcade of Awesome. GREAT coverage. (Editor's Note - Cavalcade of Awesome is a website and not a Rock Band.)

I thought I'd take a second to note that it was Roberto Goizuetta's idea to bring back Sergio Zyman to Coke's marketing group (he was fired after the New Coke debacle)...and Sergio's came up with the entire business model for OK Soda. Why do I share this with you? Because I'm a huge Goizuetta fan! :)

While most soda reviews just KILL a product (See yesterday's post about Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper) I found it interesting the OK Soda has a Facebook Fansite! Ok...maybe it IS Ok after all!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper...really?!









If you like soda as much as I do...and you like Chocolate as much as I do...and like cherries a bit to boot...then seeing something called Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper should catch your eye right away!



It did mine.



I LOVE Dr. Pepper, but I never heard of THIS flavor and had to do a little research to see what I had missed.



According to Wikipedia:

Diet Cherry Chocolate Dr Pepper (2007–2008) was introduced as a limited edition flavor on November 21, 2007. It was discontinued in April 2008. It became available in Canada in early January 2008. A non-diet version was never created. The taste is similar to Canfield's Diet Cherry Chocolate Fudge Soda but with the distinctive Dr Pepper flavor.

Limited Edition all right! It ran for 5 months.

That does not smack of word recognition.

If it WAS world-renoun, it would have gotten a comeback each November, no?

Cherry Chocolate Rain video on You Tube. It's by Tay Zonday, the knucklehead who did the original Chocolate Rain. I don't know how much Dr. Pepper paid him, but...

Junk Food Blog reviews the soda here. (No mention of the video.)

Appropo of Something, which just KILLED Dr. Pepper's Berries and Cream flavor, reviews the Cherry Chocolate flavor here. (you will absolutely have to brush your teeth after reading the Berries and Cream review...)

Associated Content gave a 2-page, thorough review of the drink here. Well, it's 2 pages due to all the click-thru ads! However, while I enjoyed the humor of the above reviews, I give Associated Content big ups for doing a non-biased review.


So the question of "what did I miss" apparently turns out to be "not terribly much!"

I'm disappointed. It sure SOUNDS delicious.

For Cherries and Chocolate, I guess we'll have to stick with the world's favorite: Mrs. Cavanaugh's Chocolate Cherry Cordials. YUM-MEEE!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Soda's ode to Seth Godin



When I was more involved with Marketing, I was a HYOOGE fan of Seth Godin.


I still am a huge fan, but I read him less often because my current position of work has a slightly different scope of work to it than when I was more actively pursuing his (marketing) ideas.





(By the way, I recently joined the gym so I wouldn't REALLY be huge. Well, hang on. I guess if I work really, really hard I COULD be a huge fan...Ok, we'll address that later.)





Anyway, today I was listening to an interview Seth gave, and it occur ed to me: I used to read Seth's blog all the time, I wonder if he's ever read mine?





And more importantly (because I don't cater to my own Self Importance): Does Seth like Soda? Does he think soda is good?

Jumped over to my friend Google and looked into Seth Godin's ideas about Soda:

Seth Godin Mistakes Custom Soda for a Hybrid Car - an author's critique of Seth comparing Jones Soda's marketing to Toyota's marketing of their hybrid vehicle.





Everyone is Clueless - Seth is impressed with how the owner of Galco's Soda Pop Stop actually TURNED DOWN Pepsi as a vendor. Actually, I'm pretty impressed myself...!





By the way, here is the You Tube video that showcases Galco's.
Even though the typed text around the 'screen' is not in English, the commentary absolutely is.

Our sister blog, Coke vs Pepsi, is shown on a platform called Squidoo. (as opposed to Blogger. Follow?) You cannot find much about Seth at Coke vs. Pepsi...but he IS the person who first conceived the idea of the 'Squidoo' platform that CvP is on, and assembled a team that brought it to life!

Seth Godin is one of the most insightful and thought provoking marketer I've ever read. I highly encourage you to pour yourself a tall glass of Cola and read the first book of his you can find!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

A note about Cola Comments

This blog does NOT get the kind of traffic that BoingBoing or The Onion. It's not as prolific as anything written by Perez Hilton or Seth Godin.

But I'm happy with the daily traffic it gets and that's that. ;)

Now and again, I'm lucky to have a reader drop a comment.
If it's related to the article...or ANYthing about soda, really...it gets published right away.

But very, very, very often I get comments about investments vehicles and porn sites.
Many of them are written in VERY bad English!
(Note to people reading this blog - if you are going to try to SPAM the comments page, PLEASE have someone proofread your work!)

Anyway, this page was not written to complain.
Actually, it's my way of acknowledging all of the people who wrote comments that did not get published and thought I just ignored them.
I did not ignore you...I just didn't publish your comment because it had nothing to do with the topic on hand.

SO...to be a good sport...let me ensure that this page has something soda-related on it:
The Soda Pop Blog ran from 2006 to 2009. Pretty good stuff. I wish I saw it last year or I'd have given it some free press.

The Orange Soda Blog has NOTHING to do with soda...but man they take GREAT wedding pictures! REALLY interesting shots, and high quality!

The Soda Spectrum Series ran from 2005 to 2008. We must have just missed each other. I think I should steal some of his old material and re-vamp it for 2010. Saves me having to come up with original ideas. LOL! I'm kidding of course...

So., the morale of our story is:
1) you cannot get SPAM comments on this blog, so please stop trying
2) if you write a unique and interesting blog about soda, odds are you are ME, as the other interesting and unique blogs seem to have stopped writing
3) it doesn't matter if you like Coke or if you like Pepsi. Soda is for everyone. So is this blog.

See you at Coke vs. Pepsi!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Five Guys Burgers and Fries...and Sodas

I'm a late bloomer. It takes me FOREVER to get to the Next Big Thing.

Today was the Very First Time I've eaten at Five Guys Burger and Fries.
And I feel a little foolish because there were posters and signs all over the place showing that they have been the Zagat rated and raved about FOREVER.

Where have I been?!?!?

So I started with the basics: a double burger with mushrooms and A1 sauce.
(MAN I like A1 sauce. Kicks the crap outta ketchup!)

I have to be honest, I didn't KNOW I was ordering a double burger, and coulda' saved a dollar if I went with what they call a 'small burger'.

I mean, no grown adult wants to order a small...but I only needed 1 patty.
I'm not complaining. The pricing was GREAT. Well worth the money.

So I took my cup over to the soda machine...and for a guy who says that Soda is Good, I was in Soda Heaven!!!

If you know anything about this blog you know I was stoped to see both Mello Yello AND Mister Pibb!

AWESOME! All the great flavors you cannot get at McDonald's or Taco Bell!

So I filled my cup with Mello Yello, ignoring the overkill from last year's trip to South Carolina, and added 2 shots of Sprite just for good measure.

Oooops...my mistake.
Sprite actually DE-flavored it.
Bummer.

But the Burger?
DELICIOUS!

Go to Five Guys, and take a second to stare at the soda machine and see AAAAALLLLLL the great sodas they offer.

I do not work for Five Guys and I do not get any money for talking about them.
But I DO strongly support Coke vs. Pepsi.
Great site! :)

Friday, January 15, 2010

Seeking Proof that Soda is Good

Gosh I love this blog! I love writing it, I love reading it.
I love when others read it...

Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper and many more...

Of course, we know that Soda is not good 'for' you...but it's GOOD!
It tastes good; and that's good.
We share laughs over a soda or two, and that's good.
It goes great with whatever you are eating; and THAT's good!

So today I went to Google and looked to see what would happen if I sought out 'Soda is Good'.

(Disclaimer - I had to ignore any post that talked about BAKING Soda is good for you. I don't care if BAKING soda is good for you! It doesn't taste good, it doesn't go great with whatever you are eating and it's not exactly a medium for sharing laughs and good times!)

So the top pieces of Google Evidence to prove that Soda is Good:
1) Soda is Good on Hub Pages
2) DIET Soda is NOT good for you. Bummer :(
3) Jones Soda is the coolest, but NOT a great investment per Motley Fool. Another Bummer. Dang...
4) CHEAP Soda is good for you. YAAAAAAAY!!!!
5) New York Times says Soda: It's Good for You.
6) Soda is Good For You on Flickr!
7) VIDEO: Grape Soda is good s--t

Decided to add #7 for TWO reasons.
1 - always leave on a high note.
2 - because my ORIGINAL idea for this post was my periodic update on the Purple Beverage company. (You may think that I am unfairly hard on Purple, but I try to be objective.) Anyway, I nixed the idea, but when I saw a PURPLE Beverage (Grape Soda) I could not resist. It's like Kharma. Really.



For MORE evidence that Soda is Good, visit our friends at www.Squidoo.com/CokevsPepsi